


take my arms that i might reach you

by fallingthorns



Series: Sound of Silence [1]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Bonus Content, Established Relationship, M/M, Making Out, Married Life, a brief romp in a cave, i have no idea how to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:54:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25804708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingthorns/pseuds/fallingthorns
Summary: “Eddie,” Richie says, his voice at full volume now, the sound of the waterfall still roaring in the background behind them. Eddie feels his heart stutter at the sound, and he blinks and swallows and decides to take off his backpack to occupy his hands for a second. Richie’s voice is the same as he remembers, the same as it has sounded in the recordings that he’s listened to over the past two years, but, fuck, just hearing his voice next to him, in front of him, live and in person and not through a pair of shitty headphones . . . it’s making Eddie feel a little crazy.--Eddie hears Richie's voice for the first time in two years.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: Sound of Silence [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872160
Comments: 10
Kudos: 89





	take my arms that i might reach you

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello! This brief fic is just some bonus content for my smau on twitter that I recently started, [Sound of Silence](https://twitter.com/SoundSilenceAU)! It is A Quiet Place AU, so the premise is that Richie and Eddie have not heard each other talk in about 2 years due to monsters that kill anything that makes a sound. You don't need to have read it to read this; this fic is pretty much just them hearing each other for the first time with some making out and a brief romp in a cave. 
> 
> The background for this is that Richie just found a waterfall that makes it safe for them to talk and do other :) things :) because the natural sound of it covers up any sounds they make.

APRIL 12, 2027 

Eddie bites his lip as he gathers up a few blankets and several pillows, smushing them into both his and Richie’s backpacks. After several seconds of struggling to zip them closed against the constant force of the pillows, Eddie sets the bags down on the bed and glances over the room to Richie. 

Richie is standing near the window, closing it and locking it quietly. His back is to Eddie, and Eddie lets out a quiet breath as he looks at his husband. His broad shoulders are illuminated by the faint traces of the almost fully-set sun, and his hair is wavy and shining in the setting light. The past few years spent surviving in an apocalypse have physically changed both of them, Eddie knows. He knows that he now has even more definition in both his arm and legs, and he has a little more of a frown line than he did before. And, Richie. God. Richie toned out, more so than Eddie has seen him since they met in their mid-twenties. Richie’s shoulders are broad and defined, and Eddie appreciates how his biceps are bulging out of the sleeves of his sweater. Eddie knows that under the sweater, Richie still has a little bit of a belly that spills over the waistband of his pants just a bit, but he is strong and broad in a way that makes Eddie start to sweat just by thinking about it. From this angle, he can just see the side of Richie’s beard, which has been a constant presence for the past two years, ever since Richie realized he could no longer use his electric razor and did not want to be bothered with a real one. Eddie really isn’t complaining.

He remembers everything about Richie, from their past 14 years of marriage and the past 20 years together. But, as the months go on, Eddie is finding it harder to remember the sound of Richie’s voice, and he finds he has to listen to recordings of Richie talking more and more frequently to remind himself of it. 

Richie turns around then, smiling at Eddie and nodding towards the bedroom door with his head. Eddie hands him one of the bags and quickly swings the other one onto his back, grabbing Richie’s hand as they silently walk out of the house. Richie turns his flashlight on as they walk, shining it onto the sandpath in front of them, their bare feet prodding along the sand with soft sounds. Eddie focuses on the rhythm as Richie leads them towards the waterfall. He doesn’t know why he’s nervous, outside of the obvious reasons. He knows the kids are okay; they were sound asleep in their beds when they left and they are good kids, anyway. They know the rules by now and both Eddie and Richie trust them. There’s the obvious nervousness that just comes with being out of the house, but Eddie knows that logically, they are no safer in the house than they are outside of the house. All it takes is one noise, anywhere. Eddie knows that the creatures don’t have a preference for inside or outside, daytime or nighttime. 

No, Eddie thinks he’s nervous just because this will be the first time he’ll be able to hear Richie in almost two years. They have not been able to physically talk to each other since June of 2025. When they kiss and makeout and fuck, mouths are usually covered by hands or mouths if they need to be, but they have gotten pretty good at just being quiet by now. They have to be if they want to survive.

Richie squeezes his hand, and Eddie glances up at him. He can hear faint sounds of a waterfall approaching in the background, and he feels his heart speed up with anticipation. Richie brings one of Eddie’s hands to his mouth and presses a kiss to the back of it, and Eddie feels himself start to blush. God. He is so fucking embarrassing. They have been married for 14 years and Richie can still make him blush like it’s their fucking first date. 

Richie tugs him along, and Eddie follows quietly behind him. A few minutes pass, and then Eddie finds himself standing at the edge of a flowing river. The sound is startling; Eddie blinks at it a few times as his hearing adjusts to the constant, loud sound, something that hasn’t been present in his life for a long time now. He feels like his brain is working hard to catch up, his heart beating fast as he repeatedly tells himself to calm down, that he’s okay, that the sound isn’t going to hurt him.

“It’s okay,” Richie whispers, and Eddie jumps at the sound, his foot slipping on the wet rock they’re standing on and sending him forward. He blinks and closes his eyes, preparing for the impact with the cool river water, but it doesn’t come. Instead, he feels a strong pair of arms quickly wrapping around his waist and pulling him back to upright and against Richie’s chest. Eddie sags into him and lets out a breath, burying his face in Richie’s chest as Richie holds him tightly.

“Eds,” Richie whispers again, and Eddie hears his voice crack as he says it. “Eddie baby. It’s okay. We’re safe here.”

Eddie nods against his chest but doesn’t say anything, not trusting his own voice to work, god, can he even fucking talk anymore? He doesn’t even know if he remembers how. But he does know that he could stay here forever, listening to Richie whisper in his ear. Even hearing just his whisper is sending Eddie spiraling. Just hearing a hint of Richie’s voice after nothing at all for so long is already starting to make him feel insane. 

He feels Richie press a kiss to the top of his head, and then he’s stepping away from Eddie and grabbing his hand again, leading him towards the waterfall at the end of the river. Eddie watches the water flowing down, the sound roaring in his ears as he follows Richie up the path that leads behind the waterfall. He reaches out and runs his hand under the water, smiling softly as he watches the water part around his hand. Eddie feels like all he can focus on is the sound; the sound of the water, the sound of protection and safety that he hasn’t felt in years. 

He feels Richie’s hand squeeze his again, and he turns his attention back to Richie, the sound of the waterfall still in the background but now dulled as he looks at his husband. Richie is smiling at him, the yellow glow from the flashlight bouncing off of the walls of the cave and illuminating his face just enough so that Eddie can make it out. His eyes are soft as he looks at Eddie, and Eddie notes the slight creases at the corner of his eyes that have grown in the past two years. Eddie brings his hand up and gently strokes his thumb along Richie’s cheek, cupping Richie’s face with his hand and reveling in the feeling of Richie’s beard against his thumb. God, he loves him so fucking much. 

“Eddie,” Richie says, his voice at full volume now, the sound of the waterfall still roaring in the background behind them. Eddie feels his heart stutter at the sound, and he blinks and swallows and decides to take off his backpack to occupy his hands for a second. Richie’s voice is the same as he remembers, the same as it has sounded in the recordings that he’s listened to over the past two years, but, fuck, just hearing his voice next to him, in front of him, live and in person and not through a pair of shitty headphones . . . it’s making Eddie feel a little crazy. 

Richie is full on grinning at him now, and Eddie watches as he takes off his own backpack, setting it down next to his feet with a dull thump, a sound that usually would be too loud and that causes Eddie to startle again. Richie takes two steps forward, closing the distance between them, and he wraps both arms around Eddie, pulling him against his chest and squeezing him against him. 

“You are so fucking jumpy tonight,” Richie says with a laugh, the sound of it vibrating through his chest. Eddie wraps his own arms around the back of Richie’s shoulders, keeping him close and pressed against him, wanting to feel every sound and vibration that comes from Richie’s chest and body with every word that he says and with every noise that he makes.

“Sorry,” Eddie says, surprising himself at the sound of his own voice. It comes out hoarse and scratchy, so he clears his throat and brings his head back to look at Richie’s face. “Sorry, I just. Forgot what sound is like, I think.” 

Richie is now staring at him, his mouth parted and open as he looks at Eddie’s face. Eddie feels his cheeks start to warm under Richie’s constant gaze, and he ducks his head, only for one of Richie’s hands to come up and bring his chin back up so that he’s looking right at him again.

“God, your voice,” Richie says, his voice cracking a bit at the end. “Fuck, Eddie.”

“I know,” Eddie murmurs. “I missed you so fucking much.” 

And it’s silly, Eddie thinks, how much he has missed Richie even when he’s been _right there._ So much of their lives and their relationship were built around talking; Richie’s entire career revolved around talking, for fuck’s sake. If they had their way, they would talk constantly, arguing and bickering and complimenting each other and yelling at the other when they would show even the slightest hint of self-deprecation they are both prone to. 

Eddie is startled out of his thoughts again as Richie surges forward and kisses him. He makes startled noise of surprise and brings one of his hands up to cup Richie’s cheek, his other arm wrapping around Richie’s waist to hold him close. He melts into Richie’s mouth and he feels like his body is on fire, every nerve ending awake and alive as Richie kisses him. Eddie lets out a small groan as Richie’s tongue presses against his closed mouth, and Eddie moans quietly and pulls back, just enough so that he can look at Richie. Richie chases after his mouth, but he misses and lands on Eddie’s jaw, and Eddie feels himself take a shuddering breath at the feeling of Richie’s mouth on his jaw, his teeth nipping and biting down his neck and his tongue soothing the skin as he moves on to a new spot.

“Richie,” Eddie moans, his hand curling in Richie’s hair as he kisses down to the collar of his shirt. “Rich.” 

“Mm,” Richie hums against his collarbone, his hand tugging the hem of his shirt down to expose it. “You sound so good.” 

Eddie tugs at Richie’s hair, pulling him back up and bringing his mouth to his again. He feels like he might die if Richie doesn’t kiss him again. Richie cups the back of his head and kisses him like it’s the last time he might get to. Which, considering they are literally living through an apocalypse, is actually not that far off. 

“I love you so fucking much,” Eddie says against his mouth. He pulls back again, laughing a little as Richie lets out a whine and tries to chase him again. Eddie plants a hand against his chest so that he can look at him. “Richie. I love you.” 

Richie relaxes against his hand, and Eddie sees that a few tears have started forming in the corner of his eyes. Eddie brings his hand up to swipe them away, and Richie turns his head to kiss the palm of Eddie’s hand.

“I never thought I was going to get to hear you say that again,” Richie says after a few moments, his breath hitching. “God, that is so fucking good to hear.”

“Say it back, dickhead,” Eddie laughs softly, shoving at Richie’s shoulder before wrapping his arm around his neck and tugging him close again. “For fuck’s sake, you weren’t the only one who --” 

Eddie is cut off by Richie’s mouth on his again, and he lets out another groan before pulling back. “Seriously, if you don’t tell me you fucking love me right this second, I’m leaving.” 

Richie tips his head back and laughs, loud and echoing against the walls of the cave, and Eddie decides he is going to get that sound recorded on his phone before they leave. 

“I love you, Eddie baby,” Richie says once he’s recovered from laughing. “I love you so fucking much. I’ve missed hearing you and talking to you. I’ve missed the little sounds you make when I kiss you. I miss you swearing at me and bossing me around.”

“I still do that,” Eddie deadpans, because it’s true.

“I know. It just doesn’t have the same punch on paper as it does with your voice attached.” 

Eddie hums and kisses him again, forcing himself to pull away _again_. Richie groans and drops his head to Eddie’s shoulder with a frustrated huff. “Just let me kiss you, man,” he groans.

“Oh, you’ll get to kiss me and do a lot more to me, if you want,” Eddie grins. “Help me set up the blankets and pillows and then we can be as loud as we want.”

Eddie laughs again as Richie all but flings himself away from Eddie and unzips both of their backpacks, dumping the contents out onto the floor of the cave. He quickly spreads the blankets and pillows out, and Eddie sits down on one of them before holding a hand out for Richie. Richie takes it and sits next to him, one of his hands stroking up and down Eddie’s thigh as he looks at him. 

“Kiss me, Rich,” Eddie says after a few seconds of looking at Richie, his voice low. He licks his lips, hoping Richie will get the hint to hurry the fuck up. Richie nods and swings a leg over Eddie’s hips, straddling him and surging forward to kiss him again. Eddie moans and wraps both of his arms around Richie’s shoulders, holding him close as he licks into his mouth.

Richie gently presses Eddie down into the blankets until they’re lying against them, his whole body covering Eddie’s as he kisses down the column of his neck. Richie moans as he feels Eddie’s hips press against his own, blinking. He pulls back and looks at Eddie with a small smirk on his face, and Eddie absolutely knows what’s about to come next. Richie pulls a blanket over them, as it is still the beginning of April and is definitely not the ideal temperature for a completely naked romp in a cave. 

The glow of the flashlight illuminates them as their clothes are shed in record time, as Richie kisses down Eddie's chest, down down down, and takes Eddie into his mouth, and Eddie lets himself go, lets himself be loud as he wants to be as he moans Richie’s name until Richie works him to the edge. Just the sound of Richie moaning and humming around him is enough to bring Eddie close. There’s apparently something about spending the past two years fucking in complete silence that makes even the smallest of noises erotic in Eddie’s mind. 

“Rich, fuck,” he chants as Richie takes him deeper. He tangles his hands in Richie’s hair and moans, and Richie hums around him again and he comes with a gasp, his hands gripping Richie’s hair. He forgets about everything except for Richie and Richie’s mouth and the sounds he was making as Richie continues to work him through it. 

“Fuck, baby,” he hears Richie say, his voice rough and scratchy. Eddie lets out a noise that he thinks should be a word but isn’t, and Richie laughs and crawls back up Eddie’s body. “You sounded so good.” 

Eddie opens his eyes as he feels Richie press down against him, rubbing himself against Eddie’s thigh. “Fuck,” Richie says, leaning down to press a kiss to Eddie’s jaw. “It’s not going to take much.” 

Eddie hums and takes Richie into his hand. It’s too dry, and he assumes it’s not the best handjob Richie has ever been given, but all it takes is a few strokes and a quick whisper in his ear from Eddie, and Richie comes with a loud gasp, chanting Eddie’s name as Eddie mouths at his neck. 

Eddie isn’t sure if he’ll ever be able to live in silence again. 

But they lay in silence afterwards, Eddie listening as their breathing evens out, the sound of the waterfall once again an overwhelming presence at the forefront of his mind. Eddie never realized he would be so thankful for a natural waterfall. 

“I’m so scared all the time,” Richie says after a few minutes pass. His voice is quiet, and Eddie presses a kiss to his jaw, just because he can.

“I know,” he whispers. “Me too. But it’s better when I’m with you.”

Richie buries his face into the crook of Eddie’s neck and shoulder, and Eddie feels him let out a warm breath against his skin.

“I love you,” he says into Richie’s ear, his hand stroking through Richie’s hair as Richie presses soft kisses to his shoulder. “I love you so fucking much.”

“I love you, too,” Richie murmurs, pressing another kiss to Eddie’s shoulder. “God. We’re coming here regularly, right?”

Eddie laughs, loud and bold, the feeling of it leaving him with a sense of relief and calmness that he hasn’t felt in two years. “We fucking better.” 

Richie laughs and Eddie hums, the feeling of Richie’s head resting against his chest enough to keep him grounded. The sound of the waterfall continues in the background, and for the first time in two years, Eddie almost feels at peace. All the tension has left his body in this moment, and Eddie lets himself fully rest in the sound of the waterfall and the feeling of Richie pressed against him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you wish, and check out my AU [Sound of Silence](https://twitter.com/SoundSilenceAU) on Twitter if you want, or come say hi to me on Twitter [@edskasper](https://twitter.com/edskasper).


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